Network Rail will lose control over Britain’s train tracks as power is handed to private operators in a major shake-up of the railway system, the Government is reportedly to announce next week.
The move, which would mark the biggest change to the running of the rail network in decades, would see British rail companies such as Virgin Trains and Southern becoming responsible for repairs and maintenance for the first time, ending state-owned Network Rail’s monopoly.
Transport minister Chris Grayling will announce the plans in a speech to the Conservative think tank Policy Exchange on Tuesday, according to The Daily Telegraph. The Government hopes this shift of control will incentivise train companies to carry out repairs more quickly and possibly bring in cheaper fares, .
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It comes as the rail industry announced train fares would go up by an average of 2.3 per cent – more than double the rate of inflation – from 2 January 2017, with some unregulated fares likely to result in fares rise of considerably more.
Currently Britain’s train tracks are owned by Network Rail while trains are controlled by completely separate companies.
Mr Grayling has spoken previously of his lack of confidence in the railway system and his desire to give train operators more control.
As the Conservatives’ front-bench transport spokesman 10 years ago, he said: “We think, with hindsight, that the complete separation of track and train into separate businesses at the time of privatisation was not right for our railways.
“The separation has helped push up the cost of running the railways – and hence fares – and has slowed decisions about capacity improvements.
“Too many people and organisations are now involved in getting things done – so nothing happens.”
In publicity material sent out ahead of the speech, Policy Exchange reportedly said Mr Grayling’s vision will “put the passenger at its heart, ensuring that journeys are safe, quick, and provide value for money”.
For Labour, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said that “privatising” the rail infrastructure would be an “irresponsible move”.
“The last thing our railways need is another layer of fragmentation and complexity. Train operating companies will only engage with this if they can extract more profit from taxpayers and fare-payers,” he said.
“It's remarkable that operators such as Southern who display a cavalier attitude towards cost-cutting and safety might be invited to take responsibility for the repair and maintenance of the tracks.
Since his election last month, they have struggled to understand who is advising Donald Trump on Asia and what his China policy will look like.
This move will turn concern into alarm and anger.
Beijing sees Taiwan as a province. Denying it any of the trappings of an independent state is one of the key priorities of Chinese foreign policy.
Read more from Carrie: The Trump phone call that will stun Beijing
Mild reaction - Cindy Sui, BBC, Taipei
China's reaction is relatively mild. It doesn't want to get off on the wrong foot with Mr Trump. And it sees Mr Trump as an inexperienced politician, so for now it's willing to forgive him and not play this up.
It may also be somewhat reassured by statements from the US that its policy on China and Taiwan has not changed. But behind the scenes it's safe to say China is working hard to "educate" the Trump team on not repeating such diplomatic faux pas.
This move by Taiwan's President Tsai will further infuriate Beijing and make it distrust her even more and see her as favouring Taiwan's formal independence from China.
World-changing ideas summit
With our powers of reasoning, rich memories and the ability to imagine what the future might hold, human intelligence is unequalled in the animal kingdom.
Our closest relatives, chimpanzees, are adept problem solvers, making their own tools to reach food, for example. They use sophisticated gestures and facial expressions to communicate. Yet, they fall a long way short of our own ability to think and plan for the future.
Thomas Suddendorf, a psychologist at the University of Queensland, describes this as the gap – the cognitive gulf that separates us from animals.
But it was not always so wide, he says in the video above. Our species once shared the planet with other hominins with intelligence that may have rivaled our own.
Their extinction was at least partly due to the actions of our own ancestors, according to many anthropologists. We need to be careful not to make the same mistakes again and widen the gap between the species even further in our pursuit of progress, warns Suddendorf, who spoke to BBC Future at the World-Changing Ideas Summit in Sydney on 15 November.
Read more:
We’ve got human intelligence all wrong
Jason G Goldman’s column Uniquely Human, about the similarities and differences between us and the animal kingdom
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The minibus crosses the vast plateau on a newly paved road. Cracked fields stretch away towards the Moroccan desert to the south. Yet the barren landscape is no longer quite as desolate as it once was. This year it became home to one of the world’s biggest solar power plants.
Welcome to Future Now
Your essential guide to a world in flux
Change happens quickly these days and it can be hard to keep up. That’s why BBC Future has launched a new section called Future Now to bring you in-depth stories about the people, events and trends that are shaping our world.
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Hundreds of curved mirrors, each as big as a bus, are ranked in rows covering 1,400,000 sq m (15m sq ft) of desert, an area the size of 200 football fields. The massive complex sits on a sun-blasted site at the foot of the High Atlas mountains, 10km (6 miles) from Ouarzazate – a city nicknamed the door to the desert. With around 330 days of sunshine a year, it’s an ideal location.
As well as meeting domestic needs, Morocco hopes one day to export solar energy to Europe. This is a plant that could help define Africa's – and the world’s – energy future.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Hundreds of curved mirrors, each as big as a bus, are ranked in rows covering 1,400,000 square metres of desert, an area the size of 200 football fields (Credit: Getty Images)
Of course, on the day I visit the sky is covered in clouds. “No electricity will be produced today,“ says Rachid Bayed at the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen), which is responsible for implementing the flagship project.
An occasional off day is not a concern, however. After many years of false starts, solar power is coming of age as countries in the sun finally embrace their most abundant source of clean energy. The Moroccan site is one of several across Africa and similar plants are being built in the Middle East – in Jordan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The falling cost of solar power has made it a viable alternative to oil even in the most oil-rich parts of the world.
As well as meeting domestic needs, Morocco hopes one day to export solar energy to Europe.
Noor 1, the first phase of the Moroccan plant, has already surpassed expectations in terms of the amount of energy it has produced. It is an encouraging result in line with Morocco’s goal to reduce its fossil fuel bill by focusing on renewables while still meeting growing energy needs that are increasing by about 7% per year. Morocco’s stable government and economy has helped it secure funding: the European Union contributed 60% of the cost for the Ouarzazate project, for example.
(Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
With around 330 days of sunshine a year, the region around Ouarzazate - a city nicknamed the door to the desert - is an ideal location (Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
The country plans to generate 14% of its energy from solar by 2020 and by adding other renewable sources like wind and water into the mix, it is aiming to produce 52% of its own energy by 2030. This puts Morocco more or less in line with countries like the UK, which wants to generate 30% of its electricity from renewables by the end of the decade, and the US, where President Obama set a target of 20% by 2030. (Trump has threatened to dump renewables, but his actions may not have a huge impact. Many policies are controlled by individual states and big companies have already started to switch to cleaner and cheaper alternatives.)
Due to the lack sun on the day I visit, the hundreds of mirrors stand still and silent. The team keeps a close eye on weather forecasts to predict output for the following day, allowing other sources of energy to take over when it is overcast.
The reflectors can be heard as they move together to follow the sun like a giant field of sunflowers
But normally the reflectors can be heard as they move together to follow the Sun like a giant field of sunflowers. The mirrors focus the Sun’s energy onto a synthetic oil that flows through a network of pipes. Reaching temperatures up to 350C (662F), the hot oil is used to produce high-pressure water vapour that drives a turbine-powered generator. “It’s the same classic process used with fossil fuels, except that we are using the Sun’s heat as the source,” says Bayed.
The plant keeps generating energy after sunset, when electricity demands peak. Some of the day’s energy is stored in reservoirs of superhot molten salts made of sodium and potassium nitrates, which keeps production going for up to three hours. In the next phase of the plant, production will continue for up to eight hours after sunset.
(Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
“The last time the Tories privatised the tracks resulted in a series of fatal accidents that led to the creation of Network Rail in the first place. We don’t want to see a return to the bad old days of Railtrack.”
Response to the reported plans on social media has been widely of concern and anger. One Twitter user said: “Government idea to turn Network Rail back into rail track in private hands to save money risks safety. Not a good idea!”
Another tweet was more blunt, saying: “Government hands track repairs to profiteering Virgin and Southern. Deaths will result.”
More about: Network RailtrainsRailwayVirginSouthernChris Graylingprivatisation
“Whisky is all about education, understanding and driving flavour exploration,” says Greg Dillon, spirits connoisseur and editor of the Great Drams blog. “The depth of flavour, the variety and the intrigue of whisky is what is driving the trend towards whisky being a great accompaniment to meals.”
Clearly, wine isn’t the only drink capable of being the perfect match for food. Whisky is gaining in popularity as the ideal partner for a range of dishes, from light starters to desserts. The many flavour descriptions vary from light to full-bodied; from a touch of sweetness and fruit, to more complex and bold with strong peat, earthy and smoky notes.
Whisky is a great match for seafood, cheese, smoked and roasted meats, and desserts. The lighter styles fare better with smoked salmon and sushi, while medium-bodied whiskies work with smoked fish such as mackerel.
Very few of us can claim to never tell a lie, but what if there was a way of spotting a liar without a lie-detector test?
A new study has discovered which of us are actually most likely to be liars, and it’s bad news for young, single men.
The study of 3,349 Americans of “all major ethnic, incomes, and geographic regions” by Curtin University, Australia, sought to discover whether there’s a link between socio-economic status and lying, and it drew some very specific conclusions.
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The researchers found that the most likely liars are young, unmarried men prone to road rage and with low levels of education - as well as asking about lying, respondents were asked questions such as “have you ever given someone the finger in traffic?”
Lead study author Arch Woodside explained to the Huffington Post that a young male with low education isn’t enough to determine how prolific a liar he is, “but a young male with low education who engages in antisocial behaviour such as road rage, well by now you can be pretty sure he is.”
However the second most likely group of liars is female - specifically, young, married women with low levels of education who’ve attained a high income. Woodside suggested these could be “women who have married into money.”
Presumably they could also simply be women who have earned their own fortunes despite low levels of education.
The world's most notorious liars
10
(CNN)The next possible US secretary of defense went by the military call sign "Chaos."
Revered by his troops as a "warrior monk" with a knack for hard-edged quips, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis led troops in Afghanistan in 2001, won laurels for leadership in one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War and most recently headed US Central Command, perhaps the military's most complicated and challenging post.
Now, Mattis faces an entirely different kind of fight.
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to formally nominate the former four-star to head the Pentagon, some Democrats are signaling his confirmation might not be entirely easy. Some observers question whether Mattis' battlefield experience prepares him for the very different task of running an enormous bureaucracy, while senior lawmakers worry about what the 66-year-old's nomination means for maintaining civilian control of the military.
Republicans issued glowing testimonials to Mattis and his career. California Rep. Devin Nunes, who heads the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he could think of "no better candidate to lead America's military in our long fight against jihadism and countering other pressing threats."
Noting that Mattis hasn't been out of uniform long enough to lead the Pentagon without a congressional waiver, California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said that while he "would make an excellent Secretary of Defense, we must also bear in mind the precedent we would be setting and the impact it would have on the principle of civilian leadership of our nation's military."
Donald Trump speaks with Taiwan's President
Kirsten Gillibrand, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee subcommittee on personnel, was more definitive.
"Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy," Gillibrand said in a statement Thursday, "and I will not vote for an exception to this rule."
Just one senator can demand that the waiver for Mattis meet a 60-vote threshold, meaning he would need to get the support of all Republicans and eight Democrats to move toward confirmation next year.
If he's approved, Mattis would be the highest-ranking former officer to serve as defense secretary. The Washington State native and history major led troops through the conflicts in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. From 2010 to 2013, he led Central Command, which oversees the Middle East and Southeast Asia, until the Obama administration let him go over disagreements on Iran.
The White House was pushing for a nuclear deal with Tehran in 2013, the same year Mattis was telling the Aspen Security Forum that his top concern as Centcom commander was "Iran, Iran, Iran."
Obama to sign Iran sanctions bill
Mattis has since been critical of the deal and of the Obama administration's refusal to engage more aggressively in the Middle East, saying it has fueled extremism in the region. In 2015, he told a congressional panel that the US needed to come out of its "reactive crouch" in the Middle East and defend its values.
Indeed, Mattis has not been known to mince words. He's affectionately known as "Mad Dog" by troops who trade his quips like prized baseball cards. On the news of his nomination, many of those sayings instantly became memes on Twitter. Among them: "a good soldier follows orders, but a true warrior wears his enemy's skin like a poncho," and "be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
Human Rights Watch called on Congress to fully examine his views on a number of issues.
"Media accounts suggest that Gen. Mattis doesn't agree with President-elect Trump's more outrageous campaign proposals, such as bringing back waterboarding, targeting terrorist suspects' family members, or tampering with anti-torture laws," said Washington director Sarah Margon.
She urged that during the confirmation process "senators make sure Mattis unreservedly repudiates these proposals, acknowledges that they are illegal, and confirms that they are not up for future consideration."
Mattis is one of a slew of generals Trump has been considering for other Cabinet-level jobs, including Gen. David Petraeus for the State Department, Gen. John Kelly to head Homeland Security and Adm. Mike Rogers as the director of national intelligence.
Erin Simpson, a national security consultant and senior editor at WarontheRocks.com, said the incoming administration may be trying to capitalize on public respect for the military by considering so many generals. But "where there are really weak civilian institutions and an inexperienced president, it just doesn't sit right by me," said Simpson.
The silver lining, she adds, is that many military and security professionals wary of Trump may be convinced to serve under Mattis.
"It provides some top-cover for other qualified folks to come in who might not have otherwise," Simpson said. "There are a lot of jobs to fill at the Pentagon, this could bring in some talent and that's a net gain."
show all
And if you want to have an honest conversation with someone, go to an unmarried woman over the age of 70 as they were found to lie the least.
The study categorised “big liars” as those of us who tell 12 significant lies per year, and it found that just 13 per cent of people tell 58 per cent of all lies.
In contrast, 21 per cent of us try to live our lives without lying.
Woodside explained to Broadly that although most of us think we know ourselves well, we really don’t, and “such thinking may be the biggest lie of all."
big computer companies aren't happy about it!
Is your computer painfully slow? Have you considered buying a new 'faster' computer but the price of even a basic one makes you cringe? Do you wish there was a cheaper, more affordable way to get a new computer? (Hint: there is – keep reading.)
It's incredibly frustrating when computers slow down or stop working for seemingly no reason at all. And even after all the diagnostics, upgrades, and money spent, the amount of time waiting for that spinning wheel or hourglass to disappear never seems to get any shorter. Your once new, lightning-fast, computer just keeps getting slower as each day passes.
Well, fortunately, there's a new device that has recently hit the market and it's literally giving old, slow computers lightning fast speed again. And to say it's extremely affordable is grossly understated!
What is It?
It's called Xtra-PC and if you have an old, slow computer, it is exactly what you've been waiting for.
Xtra-PC is a small thumb drive you simply plug into your computer's USB port and it instantly transforms your old computer to like new. It works with any computer (Mac or Windows) laptop, desktop, and netbooks made in 2004 or later.
It is hands down the fastest, easiest solution to getting yourself a new computer without spending $400, $500, $800 or more – guaranteed. No more staring at spinning wheels or hourglasses ever again!
How Does it Work?
Super easy! In fact, it's so easy that it's like snapping your fingers and watching your old computer magically turn into the new, super-fast computer you want it to be. All you have to do is...
Plug it in – Simply plug Xtra-PC into a USB port while your computer is turned off.
Turn Your Computer On – Select 'Boot from USB' and bingo, you're good to go.
Enjoy New PC – In less than 15 minutes you'll be shocked at the difference in the performance of your computer.
You only have to setup Xtra-PC once and you can even use it on multiple computers!
Watch This Video For A Closer Look At How Xtra-PC Works!
No Hard Drive? No Problem!
Amazingly, Xtra-PC even works on computers with no hard drives. That's right! Broken, damaged, or just plain missing – Xtra-PC will have your computer running like new again even without a hard drive!
What Can I Do With My Like-New Computer?
Everything! With Xtra-PC, there's simply no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a new computer – only to have it peter out on you in another year or two. It makes no sense. But getting Xtra-PC does (which is why the big computer companies are so against this incredibly powerful little device). With Xtra-PC you'll be able to do the things you normally do...
Heck, you can even add other programs to your computer if you wanted to. Want to download Skype? No problem, with Xtra-PC, you can.
How Much Is This Going To Cost Me?
This is not a joke. Xtra-PC is only $24.99! That's right – ONLY 25 bucks! And they offer a 30-Day money back guarantee. There honestly is no good reason not to try Xtra-PC.
You can get Xtra-PC direct from the company's website here. Make sure to buy it from the official site as there are many knockoffs on the market today.
Want to win at job-hunting and being a student? It can be done. “Seizing the opportunities available at university is a valuable way for students to boost their career prospects, as well as giving them a richer university experience,” says Maggie Westgarth, head of employability and enterprise at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). Here are some suggestions for how to do it:
Work placements
“They enable students to apply their skills in a real-world environment and see the impact their skills can have on an organisation or industry,” says Westgarth. “Employers value this level of work experience and it gives students a significant advantage in the jobs market.”
Volunteer, work or study overseas
“The number of new experiences that come from living in a different country and culture is extraordinary and can make a CV stand out from the crowd,” says Westgarth. “Someone who has spent time abroad during their studies will be able to talk about experiences and skills that will be unlike any other candidate.”
Get involved in sports and societies
Graduate recruiters stress how important this is, says Katie Seymour-Smith, senior career consultant at the University of Derby. “Not only does it expose students to a wider skill set, networking opportunities and skill application, but it contributes towards building confidence and resilience.” And it’s fun, too.
Get advice from a range of people
Different people – parents, friends, lecturers, employers – will have different perspectives on the world of work, according to Tom Staunton, careers consultant at the University of Derby. To help you filter all that information, he suggests seeing a professional careers adviser. “They can help you think through the different advice you have been given, work out what it means for you and what you could do about it,” he says.
Mind your surrounding
READ MORE
SPONSORED
Giving graduates a head start in business
“Don’t bury your head in the sand - there’s always something going on around campus,” says Alison Armstrong, a careers advisor at Bournemouth University. That might be a careers workshop, a volunteering opportunity at the union or an event hosted by an employer. Look out for employability awards, too. “These are structured programmes designed to help you get the most out of your time at university,” she adds.
Be a part of the wider uni community
“Get as involved as possible with uni life,” says Armstrong. It’s not just societies – getting involved with student papers and radio stations can be great fun and build great skills. “Volunteer for opportunities such as becoming a student rep,” adds Armstrong. “This will develop and demonstrate leadership, negotiation and team-working skills.”
This can be with fellow students on forums, but Jack Wallington, community director at The Student Room suggests casting the net wider as well. “It’s good to connect with lecturers, guest speakers or anyone you’ve worked alongside, as by getting to know them you’re likely to get introduced to even more people in the industry,” he says. Tap your uni's alumni network as well. “These people have first-hand experiences and advice to offer on how to break into your chosen field,” he adds.

Smartphones and Cell Phones
Matthew Miller provides you with news, commentary and in-depth reviews of the latest in mobile phones sporting iOS, Android, and Windows.
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MATTHEW MILLER
Matthew Miller started using mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. He is a co-host, with ZDNet's Kevin Tofel, of the MobileTechRoundup podcast and an author of three Wiley Companion series books. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned more than 200 different devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems. His current collection includes a Nokia Lumia 830, Apple iPhone 6 Plus, BlackBerry Passport, Sony Xperia Z3, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and many more, along with tons of accessories and classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew can be found on various discussion forums under the user name of "palmsolo".
LATEST POSTS
Android Wear 2.0, LG Watches, and new old devices (MobileTechRoundup show #390)
Android Wear 2.0, LG Watches, and new old devices (MobileTechRoundup show #390)
Google announced the launch of Android Wear 2.0 with a couple new watches from LG. We continue to hear more about rumored upcoming phones as well.
February 12, 2017 by Matthew Miller
Is AI the next Android differentiator? LG teases 'less artificial more intelligence' for G6
Is AI the next Android differentiator? LG teases 'less artificial more intelligence' for G6
Google Assistant is available on the Pixel. Alexa is coming to the Huawei Mate 9. Sense Companion is coming on the HTC U Ultra. Samsung may be launching Bixby on the Galaxy S8. And LG may be bringing something else to the G6.
February 10, 2017 by Matthew Miller
Moto Mods Hackathon: Moving the modular smartphone concept forward
Moto Mods Hackathon: Moving the modular smartphone concept forward
With active participation in hackathons and a full Mod Development Kit, Motorola Mobility is enabling hardware developers to help its Moto Mods be successful. The Moto Z is an excellent modular smartphone that looks to be getting even better.
February 7, 2017 by Matthew MillerCES 2017: Hands-on with the dual camera $250 Honor 6X
Huawei starts off the new year with the 5X successor, the Honor 6X, that brings a dual camera experience with a long battery life and sleek all-aluminum form factor to the US market.
Matthew Miller
By Matthew Miller for Smartphones and Cell Phones | January 3, 2017 -- 20:31 GMT (04:31 GMT+08:00) | Topic: Mobility
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Last year ZDNet's Jason Perlow was impressed with the $199 Honor 5X and now we see Huawei bringing the Honor 6X to the US with some important upgrades while keeping the price low at just $249.99.
TechRepublic: Honor launches 6X budget phone with a dual-lens rear camera
Huawei announced the Honor 6X in China on 18 October 2016 and today made the US release announcement at CES in Las Vegas. The Honor 6X packs in a lot of smartphone at an affordable price and I've spent the last 10 days testing one out.
HARDWARE
CES 2017
The best mobile tech, PCs and laptops on display
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Under Armour highlights digital transformation efforts
See also: CNET's full coverage
In 2016, my favorite smartphone hardware maker was Huawei. There's something about 2.5D glass, beveled metal edges, an extremely fast rear fingerprint scanner, and solid performing camera. The Honor 8 is an incredible device that can be found for just around $300 with near-flagship specifications. The Honor 6X is a bigger phone and competes in the large display market with specs that are near flagship level.
Rather than having a rear beveled edge on the back of the Honor 6X, we see that Huawei took the sides and curved it into the back panel so the phone fits well in your hand. The dual cameras are positioned on top of each other, like the Mate 9, and also have a bump that sticks out the back. The fingerprint sensor is centered below the cameras.
The SIM/microSD card slot tray is on the left with the volume and power buttons on the right. The mono speaker and microUSB port are found on the bottom. An IR port and the 3.5mm headset jack are on top.
Specifications of the Honor 6X include:
Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core
Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution IPS LCD, 403 ppi
Operating system: Emotion UI 4.1 built on Android 6.0 Marshmallow
RAM: 3 GB
Storage: 32 GB internal storage with microSD storage card
Cameras: 12 megapixel and 2 megapixel dual rear cameras. 8 megapixel front facing camera
Wireless technology: FM radio, NFC, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1
Battery: 3,340 mAh battery with fast charging technology
Dimensions: 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm and 162 grams
The Honor 8 has an USB Type-C port, but the Honor 6X still has a microUSB port on the bottom for charging up the device. You will still find a 3.5mm headset jack, as well as a FM radio.
The camera performs well and may be one of the best I've ever used at this price point. I included inside, exterior, outside sunset, and wide aperture photos from the Huawei Mate 9 and Honor 6X in my image gallery below. The Honor 6X will likely satisfy most folks, especially if photos are just shared on social networks.
SOFTWARE
The Honor 6X runs Emotion UI 4.1 and Honor stated it will be upgraded to version 5.0 in the future. While some people have issues with EMUI, I find it to be a functional UI that adds to Android without being overly complicated or obtrusive.
CES 2017: Hands-on with the affordable Honor... SEE FULL GALLERY
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There is no app drawer in EMUI 4.1, but you can always install something like the Google Now Launcher and be satisfied with the home screen experience. The software performs the same as the Honor 8 so check out that review if you are interested in EMUI 4.1.
One aspect of the dual camera Huawei devices like the P9, Mate 9, and Honor 8 is the advanced camera software. While the iPhone and Google Pixel devices have a very basic camera user interface, Honor brings an advanced experience similar to what we see on Samsung and LG phones. You will find wide aperture mode, professional mode, food mode, perfect selfie, beauty mode, makeup mode for the front camera, panorama, HDR, watermark, audio note, ultra snapshot, best photo, smile snapshot, audio control, timer function, touch to capture, and time-lapse mode.
Honor is a brand that targets millennials and believes that providing slick camera functions is better than a simple automatic interface. I personally enjoy using some of these modes and get more comments from people when I take unique shots using these modes.
INITIAL EXPERIENCES
I've had the Honor 6X in hand for about 10 days and if I wasn't such a flagship-loving smartphone user I could easily get by with a device like the Honor 6X. People who are looking for great value and solid specifications may want to consider the 6X. It's nice to have a smartphone that lasts a couple of days and helps you be creative with photography.
In November I wrote about the different ways manufacturers are using dual rear cameras and in this case the Honor 6X has dual cameras for faster focus and wide aperture tricks. The main rear camera is a 12 megapixel shooter, but the second one is only 2 megapixels. It is not a monochrome lens like the Huawei P9 and Mate 9, but is a color one that is used to improve focus times and provide wide aperture effects.
Huawei has some fantastic hardware design language and the Honor 6X continues that trend. It definitely does not feel like a low price Android smartphone and thankfully it also performs better than you would expect for a mid-level device.
People looking for a big screen phone at a very affordable price will appreciate the Honor 6X. It will be available on Amazon, Newegg, ebay, and other online retailers with in-store available in Best Buy, Costco, and others. You will be able to purchase the Honor 6X for $249.99 in gray, gold, and silver.
Huawei's next smartphone challenge: Navigating Trump-China relations
Huawei's next smartphone challenge: Navigating Trump-China relations
With President Trump's recent tough talk on trade, can Huawei, Lenovo and ZTE achieve the success predicted for Chinese manufacturers?
February 1, 2017 by Matthew Miller
Razer acquires Nextbit, Robin smartphone sales halted
Razer acquires Nextbit, Robin smartphone sales halted
Last year Nextbit launched the innovative Robin Android smartphone. It has just been acquired by Razer and will continue to operate as an independent entity within the larger company.
January 31, 2017 by Matthew Miller
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835: What do the Kryo 280, Adreno 540, Spectra 180, X16, and Hexagon 682 mean for business?
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835: What do the Kryo 280, Adreno 540, Spectra 180, X16, and Hexagon 682 mean for business?
We don't often think much about the internal components powering our mobile devices, but it turns out this is where the real innovation is taking place in the mobile space. Let's take a closer look at the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.
January 30, 2017 by Matthew Miller
TripIt Navigator: Detailed transportation options for business travelers
TripIt Navigator: Detailed transportation options for business travelers
While business travelers spend hours on planes traversing the world, there is a phase of the trip where one travels to and from the airport. The latest update to TripIt provides costs and travel times for various options.
January 29, 2017 by Matthew Miller
CM4 Q Card Case for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus: Protective wallet case with kickstand option
CM4 Q Card Case for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus: Protective wallet case with kickstand option
Many of the iPhone cases designed to hold credit cards are folio style cases. The Q Card Case includes a card holder on the back with a design that lets you prop it up for media.
January 22, 2017 by Matthew Miller
Google Pixel not so great: There are plenty of better business phones
Google Pixel? Not so great. In fact, there are plenty of better business phones
Google Pixel is not the best Android smartphone you can buy. There are plenty of better business handsets.
January 20, 2017 by Matthew Miller
Cheetah Mobile launches Made for Samsung News Republic app with exclusive features
Cheetah Mobile launches Made for Samsung News Republic app with exclusive features
Millions of us spend more time on our phones than any other computing device and use our phones to stay up on the latest news. The latest News Republic update adds exclusive features for Samsung phones and watches.
January 19, 2017 by Matthew Miller
HTC announces U Ultra and U Play: The best of HTC available for pre-sale today
HTC announces U Ultra and U Play: The best of HTC available for pre-sale today
HTC is moving away from its flagship unibody aluminum designs and integrating glass panels in brilliant colors. The HTC U models sport the best of HTC audio and photography.
January 12, 2017 by Matthew Miller
CES 2017: Hands-on with the dual camera $250 Honor 6X
CES 2017: Hands-on with the dual camera $250 Honor 6X
Huawei starts off the new year with the 5X successor, the Honor 6X, that brings a dual camera experience with a long battery life and sleek all-aluminum form factor to the US market.
January 4, 2017 by Matthew Miller
LifeProof Fre for Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus: Form fitting rugged protection for outdoor adventures
LifeProof Fre for Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus: Form fitting rugged protection for outdoor adventures
It's the time of year when we hit the slopes, wade into the rivers, and hike through the white stuff. Thanks to LifeProof's newest Fre cases, you can rest assured your iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL will remain safe and sound.
December 29, 2016 by Matthew Miller
Two weeks with T-Mobile Digits: The end of missed calls and texts
Two weeks with T-Mobile Digits: The end of missed calls and texts
As a mobile enthusiast, I tend to carry multiple phones while also having access to wearables and tablets. With Digits, I am now able to effortlessly have every connected device I own synced up.
December 21, 2016 by Matthew Miller
10 best smartphones for the 2016 holiday season
10 best smartphones for the 2016 holiday season
There are some fantastic options in the $400 range this year, with three devices making their way onto Matthew Miller's top 10 list.
The GSMArena blog is moving house, make sure you update your bookmarks
July 10th, 2015, 19:29 by Chavis 121 comments
I had the pleasure to write the first ever public post on the GSMArena blog back in October 2009. Today, almost six years later, I have the honor of writing the last one too.
Don’t you worry, we are not scrapping the project, just on the contrary – we’re promoting it. As part of our redesign and reorganization efforts, from now on, the usual blog content that you know and love will become an integral part of our main website content as a separate tech column.
Throughout all these years we kept the blog running almost like a separate website, using an entirely different content management platform compared to our main website found at GSMArena.com. This presented with lots of challenges in terms of re-using and interlinking content between the two, updating both with new features, patching vulnerabilities and even training editors to work efficiently with two different types of user interfaces – it has generally been a big headache for our developer’s team trying to keep the looks of features and styles consistent across the two outlets.
In the same time we are humbled by the fact that so many people keep choosing us as their source for news about all things tech on a daily basis. We’ve been amazed by the audience response and we’ve been enjoying a healthy traffic growth rate throughout all these years. So we decided that it’s time to make our lives easier and take this blog to the next level with it becoming a fully-fledged part of GSMArena’s homepage where it rightfully belongs.
All the content that we’ve produced as part of blog.gsmarena.com will remain accessible here forever for your perusal – the same goes for the Disqus commenting subsystem. Our new blog column will use the main website’s commenting system where you will have the option of either posting anonymously or logging in with either your Facebook or Google+ account.
It was a fun ride. But there are a lot more fun times ahead and we’re merely changing lanes here. So hop on as we push ahead.
This way to GSMArena Blog 2.0
Asus ZenFone 2 can run Windows 7 in case you really need it to
July 10th, 2015, 02:00 by Stefan 24 comments
The latest smartphone that can boot an OS it will likely never need is Asus ZenFone 2. A crafty XDA Developers member ported Microsoft Windows 7 to the Intel Atom-based smartphone.
The desktop OS was ported on the ZE551ML variant of the ZenFone 2. READ MORE »
Oppo Find 7 and Find 7a get big price cuts in the US until July 14
July 8th, 2015, 19:48 by Vlad 1 comments
Oppo’s Find 7 and Find 7a aren’t new devices anymore, as they were last year’s flagships for the Chinese company. That said, Oppo is still selling them, but at a steep discount – at least if you choose to buy one before July 14.
This applies if you’re in the US and order from Oppo’s official online store. If so, you can purchase a Find 7a for only $289, and the higher-end Find 7 for just $329. READ MORE »
Samsung is shaving $200 off the Galaxy Note 4′s full price until July 26
July 7th, 2015, 21:15 by Vlad 36 comments
If you’re in the US and are after Samsung’s top of the line phablet at the moment, here’s a deal that might interest you. The Korean smartphone maker has started a new promotion in the States today, one that will last until July 26.
It goes something like this. You purchase a Galaxy Note 4 at full retail price, and then Samsung will give you back $200 out of what you paid. READ MORE »
LG attaches a G4 to a drone, promo video ensues
July 7th, 2015, 20:15 by Vlad 24 comments
LG’s arm in Israel has decided to film a new promotional video for the G4. That in itself would be nothing out of the ordinary. What is a bit special in this case, however, is that most of the video is actually shot on the G4 itself. Which is strapped to a drone.
Now that drones are so hip and fashionable, LG thought its G4 should get some of that flying action too. Furthermore, the handset is filming its travels, so it can document what it’s seen. The music is dramatic, and the scenery is certainly spectacular. READ MORE »
Get your hands on a factory unlocked Samsung Galaxy S6 for $499.99 on eBay
July 7th, 2015, 05:21 by Stefan 27 comments
If you are looking for to buy a Samsung Galaxy S6, now might be a good time. A an eBay power seller in the United States is offering a factory unlocked G920F variant of the handset for $499.99.
Of course, the above mentioned price tag will land you a 32GB version of the Korean giant’s flagship smartphone. READ MORE »
Oppo R7 battery life test
July 5th, 2015, 14:29 by Kyle 30 comments
Oppo R7 is quite an interesting smartphone, which upgrades on the super thin Oppo R5. The new R7 brings back the 3.5mm jack and adds extra battery capacity at the price of 1.4mm of extra thickness. We also get dual-SIM connectivity, a microSD expansion slot, a higher-res selfie camera and enhanced rear snapper this time around.
The Oppo R7 keeps the same key hardware specs – a 5″ AMOLED 1080p display, the same Snapdragon 615 chip, this time around with 3GB of RAM, and runs on the aging Android KitKat. The older Oppo R5 returned a disappointing endurance rating and we hope Oppo managed to fix this issue for the successor. READ MORE »
HTC has people ‘blind test’ the One M9 compared to its competitors in new ads
July 3rd, 2015, 20:30 by Vlad 67 comments
Blind tests have now reached mobile device related marketing. HTC has taken exactly this approach in three new ads for its One M9. The handset maker’s representative has regular people test three aspects of smartphone use by using three devices which are fully covered by big, bulky cases – so as not to give away what they are.
If you’ve guessed that the HTC One M9 wins every single one of these tests, you were right, amazingly. App opening speed? Check. Sound quality? Check. Low-light selfies? Check. READ MORE »
OnePlus Cardboard can now be ordered for free, though you do pay shipping
July 3rd, 2015, 19:21 by Vlad 21 comments
Back when it revealed that it would launch its next smartphone in VR, OnePlus also made its own version of Google’s Cardboard official. The Chinese company promised to make this available to people before its grand unveiling event for the OnePlus 2, which will happen on July 27.
And now you can order one, straight from the OnePlus website. The rather surprising fact is that it’s free. You only have to pay for shipping, which is going to be $5 if you’re in the US, £5 if you’re in the UK, or €7 if you’re elsewhere in Europe. READ MORE »
Nexus 6, YotaPhone 2 get big price cuts in the UK
July 2nd, 2015, 17:24 by Ansh 8 comments
Following Motorola’s UK summer sale, which saw the Nexus 6 smartphone being offered on discounted rates, Google has also slashed the price of the handset in the country.
The 32GB and 64GB models of the device – which usually sell for £479 and £549 – are now listed at £304 and £379 on the Google Play Store. It is, however, not yet known whether or not it’s a temporary price cut as Google hasn’t yet officially announced it. READ MORE »
HTC giving away $100 Google Play credit to buyers of One M9 for Verizon
July 2nd, 2015, 03:48 by Ansh 9 comments
If you are planning to purchase an HTC One M9, here is a deal that might interest you: the Taiwanese company is offering a $100 Google Play credit to those who purchase the flagship smartphone from Verizon.
The promotion has already begun, and it runs through August 31. To claim your $100 Google Play credit, you’ll have to visit a specific webpage (click the Source 2 link below), where you’ll be required to provide proof of purchase, your contact information, as well as the smartphone’s IMEI number. You can redeem your $100 credit by September 30. READ MORE »
LG G4 comes with a free leather back and second battery in the US in July
July 1st, 2015, 20:08 by Vlad 21 comments
Last month, LG ran an interesting promotion for its G4 smartphone in the US. The company offered people who purchased the handset a free microSD card, a second battery, and a charging cradle. This month, LG is up to something very similar.
Only this time around the microSD card in the giveaway has been replaced with a leather back cover. You still also get a second battery with a charging cradle. READ MORE »
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active battery life test
June 29th, 2015, 03:08 by Stefan 53 comments
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active features a massive 3,500mAh battery. The rest of the rugged device’s internals are identical to those found in the regular Samsung Galaxy S6, so we were quite curious to put it through our battery test.
The 2,550mAh battery of the SM-G920 was sufficient enough to propel it to a stellar endurance rating of 73 hours. With roughly 40% more battery capacity than its non-rugged sibling, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active commands seriously high expectations. Read on to find out if the device delivers! READ MORE »
Samsung Galaxy S6 updated to Android 5.1.1: exploring the differences on video
June 28th, 2015, 13:45 by Peter 40 comments
The Android 5.1.1 update for the Samsung Galaxy S6 has been out for a while and it finally landed in our grasp so we updated our unit and took it for a quick spin. And we do mean quick as the changelog is particularly short.
We dug around the interface, tried shooting a RAW image and ran some benchmarks. Our findings are pretty slim – the 0.1 update brings only a handful of features. READ MORE »
Lenovo A7000 Preview
June 28th, 2015, 11:00 by Prasad 31 comments
The Lenovo A7000 is one of company’s budget smartphones, slotted between the A6000 Plus and the new K3 Note. But while we will be taking a look at the latter in a future post, it’s time to take a closer look at the A7000.
Despite its budget positioning, the A7000 does come with a good set of features, including a 5.5-inch HD display, 64-bit octa-core processor on a MediaTek chipset, 2GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera, LTE, dual SIM support and a 2900mAh battery. It’s also the world’s first phone to have Dolby Atmos-certified audio. READ MORE »
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December 16, 2016 by Matthew Miller
Samsung Galaxy S8 Rumours - What's expected
By: Lucy Slater Sam Cleere 26/01/2017
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Prysm updates its Visual Workplace to incorporate centralized live source streaming
Prysm has updated its cloud based collaboration platform with Live Source Streaming, Quick Start, and Wireless Screen Sharing features.
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By Eileen Brown for Social Business | February 17, 2017 -- 16:19 GMT (00:19 GMT+08:00) | Topic: Collaboration
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Silicon Valley cloud-based collaboration workplace provider Prysm has announced its latest offering. Its Visual Workplace update includes 'Live Source Streaming', 'Quick Start', and 'Wireless Screen Sharing'. Its solution is also now compatible with third-party hardware.
Prysm updates its Visual Workplace to incorporate centralized live source streaming ZDNet
Prysm
The announcement means that customers can now turn almost any conference room that has a modern interactive LCD display into a Prysm Visual Workplace enabled room. Users can collaborate from any location and on any device, including mobile devices.
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The application can be enabled on a variety of commercial or industrial grade 4K or UHD LCD displays with a display port 1.2 and a USB 2.0 based touch sensor interface.
The Live Source Streaming option allows all participants using the Workplace, to view and manipulate all live sources displayed in a common workspace from any connected device.
Devices include: BYOD connected devices, personal devices such as laptops or mobile devices, in-room PC, videoconference systems, Apple TVs, document cameras, and security cameras. Changes and edits made during the conference can be viewed in real-time by meeting participants.
Its Quick Start offering enables employees, or guests without a Prysm account, access to the Visual Workplace to collaborate. Participants can pair devices, sketch using a new digital whiteboard and share information using the Visual Workplace.
Its Wireless Screen Sharing capability allows users to wirelessly display information from a laptop, tablet, or mobile device on a Prysm Display.
Prysm says that its Visual Workplace applications can be accessed through a web browser, with no download of software required. It also provides a cloud-based portal for real-time collaboration.
It also offers persistent workspaces. This means that meeting participants can continue a previous meeting exactly where they left off, with access to contents from the previous meeting.
The Company said that the tools are expected to be generally available by the end of Q1 2017.
Paige O'Neill, CMO, Prysm. said: "Prysm Visual Workplace helps improve employee productivity across the enterprise by making digital collaboration technology available, when and where employees need it to problem-solve.
By connecting physical and virtual workspaces and offering the tools employees need to achieve critical tasks quickly, regardless of their location or device, Prysm drives employee engagement and facilitates faster decision making."
Galaxy S8 rumours
The Samsung Galaxy S7 was widely lauded by critics and consumers alike when it was released back in March 2016. While it was very similar to the Galaxy S6, its improved features and stylish look and feel makes it one of the best smartphones on the market.
Yet the lack of innovation means there’s room for improvement. This is why many of us await the release of the Galaxy S8 with baited breath. Here’s what we know about the S8 so far…
The Galaxy S7 S7 Edge
When is the release date?
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will almost certainly launch early in 2017. Samsung usually releases each new Galaxy on the eve of the Mobile World Congress. As this event is due to start again on February 27 2017, the S8 is likely to launch on February 26.
You won’t be able to get your hands on it this early. At the very least you should expect to wait for two weeks – so March 13 at the earliest. Yet some sources are suggesting that Samsung could push back the release until April.
Will there be an Edge?
It doesn’t look likely that there will be an S8 Edge. Most rumours suggest that the standard S8 will have the familiar curved edges, which makes the name of the higher grade model somewhat redundant. Instead, the successor to the Galaxy S7 Edge will be the S8 Plus.
The key differences between the S8 and the S8 Plus will come down to size, battery capacity and possibly the camera. The S8 will come equipped with a 5.5/5.7in Quad-HD SuperAMOLED Always-On display. The S8 Plus will have a 6.2in 4K display. The higher-grade model will come with a dual camera, although it is possible that both the S8 and S8 Plus will sport this attractive feature.
What operating system will it run?
The Galaxy S8 is likely to use the new Android 7.1 Nougat operating system. This brings back app shortcuts, despite being scrapped after a poor response during the Android Nougat beta program. This function is similar to the 3D Touch features in iOS 9 and gives apps up to five shortcuts.
The power menu now includes a new restart setting. In the Google Nexus 5X, this gives you the option of power cycling rather than switching off your phone.
The Google models also include a ‘Moves’ menu. This gives users different ways to initiate different actions with certain gestures. For example, by double-twisting your wrist you can switch in or out of selfie mode. By pressing the power button twice, you can launch the camera. As the Samsung Galaxy S8 will use the same operating system, it is therefore likely that it will have the same functionality as the Google devices.
How much will the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus cost?
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are likely to cost a bit more than the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge did on release. This may be due in part to Samsung’s desire to make back some of the money they lost after they were forced to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7. The Galaxy S8 is likely to cost around £599 in the UK, and the S8 Plus a will be a fraction more expensive at around £669.
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A Language Learning Phenomenon — 5 Reasons 1,000,000 People Use This App To Learn Languages
Over 1,000,000 people have turned to technology to help them learn a language. We investigate why app-based learning is proving to be such a popular method, and what advantages it may hold over more traditional methods.
BY ED M. WOOD
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Facebook now has approximately 1.6 billion users, which equates to about one quarter of the world’s population. This number becomes even more astonishing when you consider that 3.3 billion of the world’s 7.2 billion people are connected to the internet — Facebook has registered over half the world’s connected population. The other internet giant, Google, handles around 4 billion search queries a day. Our information age of hyper-connectivity has heralded a new understanding of achievable scale. Every two days we generate the same amount of information as we did from the dawn of civilization until 2003 — five exabytes — and platforms with skittish names and basement origins categorize and index this information, mediate how we interact with one another, and mould the channels through which we access the vast repository of human knowledge.
Companies that operate on the breathtaking scale of Google and Facebook address and satisfy core fundamental human needs; namely, access to information and social interaction. It’s a formula for success: identify or create a need and provide a product or service which fulfills this need. In our networked world, this can be done at a global level: Uber can hail you a car either side of the Atlantic, Airbnb can secure you an apartment in Bombay or Buenos Aires, and Foodora can deliver you a takeaway in Birmingham or Berlin.
What happens, though, when a web company focuses not on need, but on aspiration? Can it also unite thousands of people in a common desire to educate and better themselves?
In 2007, the language experts at Babbel set out to make language learning easy, effective, and accessible to everyone. Fast-forward nine years and the four founders have multiplied into over four-hundred language enthusiasts — among them linguists, teachers, polyglots and content creators — who produce courses for learners of fourteen different foreign languages from seven different native languages, which equates to ninety-eight combinations of individually tailored courses.
So how’s it working out?
The numbers speak for themselves: over 1,000,000 people choose to learn a language with Babbel, and that number continues to grow. But why have the Babbel apps proved so popular? We’ve selected our top five reasons:
1. The People
From a rabble of budding language enthusiasts working in a loft in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, Babbel HQ has since evolved to house a broad range of experts united by the common goal of creating the best language learning tools possible. That may all sound rather, um… lofty, but as I heard Eric Schmidt say just this week, such overt ambition possesses a strong force of attraction. For a company that requires specialists in ninety-eight language combinations, this force of attraction is integral to finding the right people, whether it’s a Spanish linguist who can design a course in Polish, or a graphic designer who can help localize the look and feel across seven languages. This imperative of multilingual, intercultural expertise has endowed the company with a truly unique topography of skills, and an unrivaled potential for innovation within the world of language learning.
2. The Product AND The Service
App-based learning carries a few inherent advantages. It’s convenient: you have your smartphone by your side at all times, fully-charged and ready to guide you through the labyrinth of contemporary life, from the gentle tap of the snooze in the morning to the emoji-peppered goodnight-message you compose for a loved one in the evening.
Furthermore, an online product can be constantly improved and updated, blurring the distinction between product and service. A Babbel learner’s progress is measured, and junctures within courses that prove difficult are optimized in order to ensure information is conveyed as effectively as possible. Yes, all that German grammar may sometimes seem complicated, and yes, some of those French words don’t look anything like they sound, but that’s exactly where Babbel comes in handy: it prides itself on making the complicated simple.
3. The Learners
All of the 1,000,000+ learners have their own story, their own reason for endeavoring to learn a language. As Babbel is in frequent contact with them, some truly inspiring tales have emerged. Gianni, for example, is probably our oldest learner at the age of 101. He’s a technophile who has long used Skype to communicate with his daughter in New York, and who likes to practice his new language with his great-granddaughter’s English speaking nanny. Cecilia is also Italian but has lived abroad for many years and speaks multiple languages. She now uses Babbel to learn German with a view to moving to Berlin in the next few years. The Babbelonians themselves are also keen Babbelers, having taken part in numerous challenges to see how much they can learn within a given period of time, whether that be Turkish in seven days, or French in a working week…
4. The Magazine
The Babbel Magazine was founded two years ago with the aim of promoting entertaining, educational articles, artwork and video on the topics of language and culture. It’s written in six different languages – English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese – and is visited on average by over ten million people every month. The editorial team now consists of thirteen people from eight different countries, and you can read about anything from the secret languages of twins to how soccer players in international teams communicate with one another. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then you can easily register with Babbel and receive all the latest updates from our magazine.
5. The Future
Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality… Science fiction is rapidly becoming science reality. The education industry has often lagged behind other industries, such as gaming and travel, in adopting and developing new digital technologies. Babbel aims to change this – driving innovation in order to keep education in step and simultaneously addressing the soaring trend toward informal, autodidactic learning that’s been ushered in by the Information Age.

(CNN)The next possible US secretary of defense went by the military call sign "Chaos."
Revered by his troops as a "warrior monk" with a knack for hard-edged quips, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis led troops in Afghanistan in 2001, won laurels for leadership in one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War and most recently headed US Central Command, perhaps the military's most complicated and challenging post.
Now, Mattis faces an entirely different kind of fight.
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to formally nominate the former four-star to head the Pentagon, some Democrats are signaling his confirmation might not be entirely easy. Some observers question whether Mattis' battlefield experience prepares him for the very different task of running an enormous bureaucracy, while senior lawmakers worry about what the 66-year-old's nomination means for maintaining civilian control of the military.
Republicans issued glowing testimonials to Mattis and his career. California Rep. Devin Nunes, who heads the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he could think of "no better candidate to lead America's military in our long fight against jihadism and countering other pressing threats."
Noting that Mattis hasn't been out of uniform long enough to lead the Pentagon without a congressional waiver, California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said that while he "would make an excellent Secretary of Defense, we must also bear in mind the precedent we would be setting and the impact it would have on the principle of civilian leadership of our nation's military."
Donald Trump speaks with Taiwan's President
Kirsten Gillibrand, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee subcommittee on personnel, was more definitive.
"Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy," Gillibrand said in a statement Thursday, "and I will not vote for an exception to this rule."
Just one senator can demand that the waiver for Mattis meet a 60-vote threshold, meaning he would need to get the support of all Republicans and eight Democrats to move toward confirmation next year.
If he's approved, Mattis would be the highest-ranking former officer to serve as defense secretary. The Washington State native and history major led troops through the conflicts in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. From 2010 to 2013, he led Central Command, which oversees the Middle East and Southeast Asia, until the Obama administration let him go over disagreements on Iran.
The White House was pushing for a nuclear deal with Tehran in 2013, the same year Mattis was telling the Aspen Security Forum that his top concern as Centcom commander was "Iran, Iran, Iran."
Obama to sign Iran sanctions bill
Mattis has since been critical of the deal and of the Obama administration's refusal to engage more aggressively in the Middle East, saying it has fueled extremism in the region. In 2015, he told a congressional panel that the US needed to come out of its "reactive crouch" in the Middle East and defend its values.
Indeed, Mattis has not been known to mince words. He's affectionately known as "Mad Dog" by troops who trade his quips like prized baseball cards. On the news of his nomination, many of those sayings instantly became memes on Twitter. Among them: "a good soldier follows orders, but a true warrior wears his enemy's skin like a poncho," and "be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
Human Rights Watch called on Congress to fully examine his views on a number of issues.
"Media accounts suggest that Gen. Mattis doesn't agree with President-elect Trump's more outrageous campaign proposals, such as bringing back waterboarding, targeting terrorist suspects' family members, or tampering with anti-torture laws," said Washington director Sarah Margon.
She urged that during the confirmation process "senators make sure Mattis unreservedly repudiates these proposals, acknowledges that they are illegal, and confirms that they are not up for future consideration."
Mattis is one of a slew of generals Trump has been considering for other Cabinet-level jobs, including Gen. David Petraeus for the State Department, Gen. John Kelly to head Homeland Security and Adm. Mike Rogers as the director of national intelligence.
Erin Simpson, a national security consultant and senior editor at WarontheRocks.com, said the incoming administration may be trying to capitalize on public respect for the military by considering so many generals. But "where there are really weak civilian institutions and an inexperienced president, it just doesn't sit right by me," said Simpson.
The silver lining, she adds, is that many military and security professionals wary of Trump may be convinced to serve under Mattis.
"It provides some top-cover for other qualified folks to come in who might not have otherwise," Simpson said. "There are a lot of jobs to fill at the Pentagon, this could bring in some talent and that's a net gain."
China's foreign ministry says it has lodged a complaint with the US after President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Taiwan's leader in a phone call.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province. US policy set in 1979 cut formal relations with Taiwan.
Mr Trump's transition team said he and Tsai Ing-wen noted "close economic, political, and security ties".
The US is Taiwan's most important ally and provides Taiwan with sufficient weaponry to defend itself.
China said it had lodged a "solemn representation" with Washington.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, China urged the US "to cautiously, properly handle Taiwan issue to avoid unnecessary disturbance to Sino-US relations".
Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed the call as a "petty trick" by Taiwan, Chinese state media said.
What happened?
Mr Trump tweeted on Friday that Ms Tsai had called him to congratulate him on winning the US election.
His team said that the US president-elect had also congratulated Ms Tsai on becoming the president of Taiwan last January.
No US president or president-elect has spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader for decades.
Following media reports pointing out the risks of angering China, Mr Trump tweeted: "Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."
The White House has said Mr Trump's conversation does not signal any change in US policy. US media reported that the White House learned of the call only after it had happened.
Mr Trump's spokeswoman said he was "well aware" of US policy towards Taiwan.
Read more: What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?
What is the problem?
This file photo taken on November 10, 2016 shows a man buying a newspaper featuring a photo of US President-elect Donald TrumpImage copyrightAFP/GETTY IMAGES
Image caption
China is closely watching Mr Trump's transition to president
The split between China and Taiwan goes back to 1949, when the Republic of China (ROC) Kuomintang (KMT) government fled the mainland to Taiwan after being defeated by the communists under Mao Zedong. The KMT held China's seat on the UN Security Council and was, for a while, recognised by many Western nations as the only Chinese government.
But in 1971, the UN switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing. Only a handful of countries now recognise Taiwan's government.
Washington cut formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979, expressing its support for Beijing's "one country, two systems" concept, which states that Taiwan is part of China.
But despite the cut, the US remains, by far, Taiwan's most important friend, and its only ally.
The Taiwan Relations Act promises to supply Taiwan with defensive weapons. It says that any attack by China on Taiwan would be considered of "grave concern" to the US.
China has hundreds of missiles pointing towards Taiwan, and has threatened to use force if it formally declares independence.
President Tsai, Taiwan's first female leader, led the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to a landslide victory in the January 2016 election.
The DPP has traditionally leaned towards independence from China. President Tsai's administration does not accept the "One China" policy.
Read more: Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's shy but steely leader
From concern to alarm and anger - Carrie Gracie, BBC China editor, Beijing
TaiwanImage copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
In an image released by her office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is seen speaking on the phone to Mr Trump
Mr Trump's decision to turn his back on four decades of US protocol on Taiwan and speak directly to a president of Taiwan has stunned policymakers in Beijing.
Since his election last month, they have struggled to understand who is advising Donald Trump on Asia and what his China policy will look like.
This move will turn concern into alarm and anger.
Beijing sees Taiwan as a province. Denying it any of the trappings of an independent state is one of the key priorities of Chinese foreign policy.
Read more from Carrie: The Trump phone call that will stun Beijing
Mild reaction - Cindy Sui, BBC, Taipei
China's reaction is relatively mild. It doesn't want to get off on the wrong foot with Mr Trump. And it sees Mr Trump as an inexperienced politician, so for now it's willing to forgive him and not play this up.
It may also be somewhat reassured by statements from the US that its policy on China and Taiwan has not changed. But behind the scenes it's safe to say China is working hard to "educate" the Trump team on not repeating such diplomatic faux pas.
This move by Taiwan's President Tsai will further infuriate Beijing and make it distrust her even more and see her as favouring Taiwan's formal independence from China.
World-changing ideas summit
With our powers of reasoning, rich memories and the ability to imagine what the future might hold, human intelligence is unequalled in the animal kingdom.
Our closest relatives, chimpanzees, are adept problem solvers, making their own tools to reach food, for example. They use sophisticated gestures and facial expressions to communicate. Yet, they fall a long way short of our own ability to think and plan for the future.
Thomas Suddendorf, a psychologist at the University of Queensland, describes this as the gap – the cognitive gulf that separates us from animals.
But it was not always so wide, he says in the video above. Our species once shared the planet with other hominins with intelligence that may have rivaled our own.
Their extinction was at least partly due to the actions of our own ancestors, according to many anthropologists. We need to be careful not to make the same mistakes again and widen the gap between the species even further in our pursuit of progress, warns Suddendorf, who spoke to BBC Future at the World-Changing Ideas Summit in Sydney on 15 November.
Read more:
We’ve got human intelligence all wrong
Jason G Goldman’s column Uniquely Human, about the similarities and differences between us and the animal kingdom
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The minibus crosses the vast plateau on a newly paved road. Cracked fields stretch away towards the Moroccan desert to the south. Yet the barren landscape is no longer quite as desolate as it once was. This year it became home to one of the world’s biggest solar power plants.
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Hundreds of curved mirrors, each as big as a bus, are ranked in rows covering 1,400,000 sq m (15m sq ft) of desert, an area the size of 200 football fields. The massive complex sits on a sun-blasted site at the foot of the High Atlas mountains, 10km (6 miles) from Ouarzazate – a city nicknamed the door to the desert. With around 330 days of sunshine a year, it’s an ideal location.
As well as meeting domestic needs, Morocco hopes one day to export solar energy to Europe. This is a plant that could help define Africa's – and the world’s – energy future.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Hundreds of curved mirrors, each as big as a bus, are ranked in rows covering 1,400,000 square metres of desert, an area the size of 200 football fields (Credit: Getty Images)
Of course, on the day I visit the sky is covered in clouds. “No electricity will be produced today,“ says Rachid Bayed at the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen), which is responsible for implementing the flagship project.
An occasional off day is not a concern, however. After many years of false starts, solar power is coming of age as countries in the sun finally embrace their most abundant source of clean energy. The Moroccan site is one of several across Africa and similar plants are being built in the Middle East – in Jordan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The falling cost of solar power has made it a viable alternative to oil even in the most oil-rich parts of the world.
As well as meeting domestic needs, Morocco hopes one day to export solar energy to Europe.
Noor 1, the first phase of the Moroccan plant, has already surpassed expectations in terms of the amount of energy it has produced. It is an encouraging result in line with Morocco’s goal to reduce its fossil fuel bill by focusing on renewables while still meeting growing energy needs that are increasing by about 7% per year. Morocco’s stable government and economy has helped it secure funding: the European Union contributed 60% of the cost for the Ouarzazate project, for example.
(Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
With around 330 days of sunshine a year, the region around Ouarzazate - a city nicknamed the door to the desert - is an ideal location (Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
The country plans to generate 14% of its energy from solar by 2020 and by adding other renewable sources like wind and water into the mix, it is aiming to produce 52% of its own energy by 2030. This puts Morocco more or less in line with countries like the UK, which wants to generate 30% of its electricity from renewables by the end of the decade, and the US, where President Obama set a target of 20% by 2030. (Trump has threatened to dump renewables, but his actions may not have a huge impact. Many policies are controlled by individual states and big companies have already started to switch to cleaner and cheaper alternatives.)
Due to the lack sun on the day I visit, the hundreds of mirrors stand still and silent. The team keeps a close eye on weather forecasts to predict output for the following day, allowing other sources of energy to take over when it is overcast.
The reflectors can be heard as they move together to follow the sun like a giant field of sunflowers
But normally the reflectors can be heard as they move together to follow the Sun like a giant field of sunflowers. The mirrors focus the Sun’s energy onto a synthetic oil that flows through a network of pipes. Reaching temperatures up to 350C (662F), the hot oil is used to produce high-pressure water vapour that drives a turbine-powered generator. “It’s the same classic process used with fossil fuels, except that we are using the Sun’s heat as the source,” says Bayed.
The plant keeps generating energy after sunset, when electricity demands peak. Some of the day’s energy is stored in reservoirs of superhot molten salts made of sodium and potassium nitrates, which keeps production going for up to three hours. In the next phase of the plant, production will continue for up to eight hours after sunset.
(Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
Once fully operational, the solar plant will only require about 50 to 100 employees (Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
As well as boosting Morocco’s power production, the Ouarzazate project is helping the local economy. Around 2,000 workers were hired during the initial two years of construction, many of them Moroccan. Roads built to provide access to the plant have also connected nearby villages, helping children get to school. Water brought in for the site has been piped beyond the complex, hooking up 33 villages to the water grid.
Water brought in for the site has been piped beyond the complex, hooking up 33 villages to the water grid
Masen has also helped farmers in the area by teaching them sustainable practices. Heading towards the mountains, I visit the Berber village of Asseghmou, 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of Ouarzazate, where a small farm has now changed the way it raises ewes. Most farmers here rely on their intuition alone but they are being introduced to more reliable techniques -such as simply separating animals in their pens – which are improving yields. Masen also provided 25 farms with sheep for breeding purposes. “I now have better food security,” says Chaoui, who runs a local farm. And his almond tree is thriving thanks to cultivation tips.
Even so, some locals have concerns. Abdellatif, who lives in the city of Zagora about 75 miles (120 kilometres) further south, where there are high rates of unemployment, thinks that the plant should focus on creating permanent jobs. He has friends who were hired to work there but they were only on contract for a few months. Once fully operational, the station will only require about 50 to 100 employees so the job boom may end. “The components of the plant are manufactured abroad but it would be better to produce them locally to generate ongoing work for residents,” he says.
(Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
The solar plant draws a massive amount of water from the local El Mansour Eddahbi dam. Water scarcity has been a problem in the semi-desert region (Credit: Sandrine Ceurstemont)
A bigger issue is that the solar plant draws a massive amount of water for cleaning and cooling from the local El Mansour Eddahbi dam. In recent years, water scarcity has been a problem in the semi-desert region and there are water cuts. Agricultural land further south in the Draa valley depends on water from the dam, which is occasionally released into the otherwise-dry river. But Mustapha Sellam, the site manager, claims that the water used by the complex amounts to 0.5% of the dam’s supply, which is negligible compared to its capacity.
Still, the plant’s consumption is enough to make a difference to struggling farmers. So the plant is making improvements to reduce the amount of water it uses. Instead of relying on water to clean the mirrors, pressurised air is used. And whereas Noor 1 uses water to cool the steam produced by the generators, so that it can be turned back into water and reused to produce more electricity, a dry cooling system that uses air will be installed.
The success of plants in places like Morocco and South Africa will encourage other African countries to turn to solar power
These new sections of the plant are currently being built. Noor 2 will be similar to the first phase, but Noor 3 will experiment with a different design. Instead of ranks of mirrors it will capture and store the Sun’s energy with a single large tower, which is thought to be more efficient.
Seven thousand flat mirrors surrounding the tower will all track and reflect the sun’s rays towards a receiver at the top, requiring much less space than existing arrangement of mirrors. Molten salts filling the interior of the tower will capture and store heat directly, doing away with the need for hot oil.
Similar systems are already used in South Africa, Spain and a few sites in the US, such as California’s Mojave desert and Nevada. But at 86ft (26m) tall, Ouarzazate’s recently erected structure is the highest of its kind in the world.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Africa’s sunshine could eventually make the continent a supplier of energy to the rest of the world (Credit: Getty Images)
Other plants in Morocco are already underway. Next year construction will begin at two sites in the south-west, near Laayoune and Boujdour, with plants near Tata and Midelt to follow.
The success of these plants in Morocco – and those in South Africa - may encourage other African countries to turn to solar power. South Africa is already one of the world’s top 10 producers of solar power and Rwanda is home to east Africa’s first solar plant, which opened in 2014. Large plants are being planned for Ghana and Uganda.
Africa’s sunshine could eventually make the continent a supplier of energy to the rest of the world. Sellam has high hopes for Noor. “Our main goal is to become energy-independent but if one day we are producing a surplus we could supply other countries too,” he says. Imagine recharging your electric car in Berlin with electricity produced in Morocco.
With the clouds set to lift in Ouarzazate, Africa is busy planning for a sunny day.
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Smartphones and Cell Phones
Matthew Miller provides you with news, commentary and in-depth reviews of the latest in mobile phones sporting iOS, Android, and Windows.
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MATTHEW MILLER
Matthew Miller started using mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. He is a co-host, with ZDNet's Kevin Tofel, of the MobileTechRoundup podcast and an author of three Wiley Companion series books. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned more than 200 different devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems. His current collection includes a Nokia Lumia 830, Apple iPhone 6 Plus, BlackBerry Passport, Sony Xperia Z3, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and many more, along with tons of accessories and classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew can be found on various discussion forums under the user name of "palmsolo".
LATEST POSTS
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February 7, 2017 by Matthew MillerCES 2017: Hands-on with the dual camera $250 Honor 6X
Huawei starts off the new year with the 5X successor, the Honor 6X, that brings a dual camera experience with a long battery life and sleek all-aluminum form factor to the US market.
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By Matthew Miller for Smartphones and Cell Phones | January 3, 2017 -- 20:31 GMT (04:31 GMT+08:00) | Topic: Mobility
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Last year ZDNet's Jason Perlow was impressed with the $199 Honor 5X and now we see Huawei bringing the Honor 6X to the US with some important upgrades while keeping the price low at just $249.99.
TechRepublic: Honor launches 6X budget phone with a dual-lens rear camera
Huawei announced the Honor 6X in China on 18 October 2016 and today made the US release announcement at CES in Las Vegas. The Honor 6X packs in a lot of smartphone at an affordable price and I've spent the last 10 days testing one out.
HARDWARE
CES 2017
The best mobile tech, PCs and laptops on display
Panasonic unveils 'human-like' companion robot
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See also: CNET's full coverage
In 2016, my favorite smartphone hardware maker was Huawei. There's something about 2.5D glass, beveled metal edges, an extremely fast rear fingerprint scanner, and solid performing camera. The Honor 8 is an incredible device that can be found for just around $300 with near-flagship specifications. The Honor 6X is a bigger phone and competes in the large display market with specs that are near flagship level.
Rather than having a rear beveled edge on the back of the Honor 6X, we see that Huawei took the sides and curved it into the back panel so the phone fits well in your hand. The dual cameras are positioned on top of each other, like the Mate 9, and also have a bump that sticks out the back. The fingerprint sensor is centered below the cameras.
The SIM/microSD card slot tray is on the left with the volume and power buttons on the right. The mono speaker and microUSB port are found on the bottom. An IR port and the 3.5mm headset jack are on top.
Specifications of the Honor 6X include:
Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core
Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution IPS LCD, 403 ppi
Operating system: Emotion UI 4.1 built on Android 6.0 Marshmallow
RAM: 3 GB
Storage: 32 GB internal storage with microSD storage card
Cameras: 12 megapixel and 2 megapixel dual rear cameras. 8 megapixel front facing camera
Wireless technology: FM radio, NFC, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1
Battery: 3,340 mAh battery with fast charging technology
Dimensions: 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm and 162 grams
The Honor 8 has an USB Type-C port, but the Honor 6X still has a microUSB port on the bottom for charging up the device. You will still find a 3.5mm headset jack, as well as a FM radio.
The camera performs well and may be one of the best I've ever used at this price point. I included inside, exterior, outside sunset, and wide aperture photos from the Huawei Mate 9 and Honor 6X in my image gallery below. The Honor 6X will likely satisfy most folks, especially if photos are just shared on social networks.
SOFTWARE
The Honor 6X runs Emotion UI 4.1 and Honor stated it will be upgraded to version 5.0 in the future. While some people have issues with EMUI, I find it to be a functional UI that adds to Android without being overly complicated or obtrusive.
CES 2017: Hands-on with the affordable Honor... SEE FULL GALLERY
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There is no app drawer in EMUI 4.1, but you can always install something like the Google Now Launcher and be satisfied with the home screen experience. The software performs the same as the Honor 8 so check out that review if you are interested in EMUI 4.1.
One aspect of the dual camera Huawei devices like the P9, Mate 9, and Honor 8 is the advanced camera software. While the iPhone and Google Pixel devices have a very basic camera user interface, Honor brings an advanced experience similar to what we see on Samsung and LG phones. You will find wide aperture mode, professional mode, food mode, perfect selfie, beauty mode, makeup mode for the front camera, panorama, HDR, watermark, audio note, ultra snapshot, best photo, smile snapshot, audio control, timer function, touch to capture, and time-lapse mode.
Honor is a brand that targets millennials and believes that providing slick camera functions is better than a simple automatic interface. I personally enjoy using some of these modes and get more comments from people when I take unique shots using these modes.
INITIAL EXPERIENCES
I've had the Honor 6X in hand for about 10 days and if I wasn't such a flagship-loving smartphone user I could easily get by with a device like the Honor 6X. People who are looking for great value and solid specifications may want to consider the 6X. It's nice to have a smartphone that lasts a couple of days and helps you be creative with photography.
In November I wrote about the different ways manufacturers are using dual rear cameras and in this case the Honor 6X has dual cameras for faster focus and wide aperture tricks. The main rear camera is a 12 megapixel shooter, but the second one is only 2 megapixels. It is not a monochrome lens like the Huawei P9 and Mate 9, but is a color one that is used to improve focus times and provide wide aperture effects.
Huawei has some fantastic hardware design language and the Honor 6X continues that trend. It definitely does not feel like a low price Android smartphone and thankfully it also performs better than you would expect for a mid-level device.
People looking for a big screen phone at a very affordable price will appreciate the Honor 6X. It will be available on Amazon, Newegg, ebay, and other online retailers with in-store available in Best Buy, Costco, and others. You will be able to purchase the Honor 6X for $249.99 in gray, gold, and silver.
Huawei's next smartphone challenge: Navigating Trump-China relations
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We don't often think much about the internal components powering our mobile devices, but it turns out this is where the real innovation is taking place in the mobile space. Let's take a closer look at the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.
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CES 2017: Hands-on with the dual camera $250 Honor 6X
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January 4, 2017 by Matthew Miller
LifeProof Fre for Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus: Form fitting rugged protection for outdoor adventures
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Two weeks with T-Mobile Digits: The end of missed calls and texts
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10 best smartphones for the 2016 holiday season
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There are some fantastic options in the $400 range this year, with three devices making their way onto Matthew Miller's top 10 list.
The GSMArena blog is moving house, make sure you update your bookmarks
July 10th, 2015, 19:29 by Chavis 121 comments
I had the pleasure to write the first ever public post on the GSMArena blog back in October 2009. Today, almost six years later, I have the honor of writing the last one too.
Don’t you worry, we are not scrapping the project, just on the contrary – we’re promoting it. As part of our redesign and reorganization efforts, from now on, the usual blog content that you know and love will become an integral part of our main website content as a separate tech column.
Throughout all these years we kept the blog running almost like a separate website, using an entirely different content management platform compared to our main website found at GSMArena.com. This presented with lots of challenges in terms of re-using and interlinking content between the two, updating both with new features, patching vulnerabilities and even training editors to work efficiently with two different types of user interfaces – it has generally been a big headache for our developer’s team trying to keep the looks of features and styles consistent across the two outlets.
In the same time we are humbled by the fact that so many people keep choosing us as their source for news about all things tech on a daily basis. We’ve been amazed by the audience response and we’ve been enjoying a healthy traffic growth rate throughout all these years. So we decided that it’s time to make our lives easier and take this blog to the next level with it becoming a fully-fledged part of GSMArena’s homepage where it rightfully belongs.
All the content that we’ve produced as part of blog.gsmarena.com will remain accessible here forever for your perusal – the same goes for the Disqus commenting subsystem. Our new blog column will use the main website’s commenting system where you will have the option of either posting anonymously or logging in with either your Facebook or Google+ account.
It was a fun ride. But there are a lot more fun times ahead and we’re merely changing lanes here. So hop on as we push ahead.
This way to GSMArena Blog 2.0
Asus ZenFone 2 can run Windows 7 in case you really need it to
July 10th, 2015, 02:00 by Stefan 24 comments
The latest smartphone that can boot an OS it will likely never need is Asus ZenFone 2. A crafty XDA Developers member ported Microsoft Windows 7 to the Intel Atom-based smartphone.
The desktop OS was ported on the ZE551ML variant of the ZenFone 2. READ MORE »
Oppo Find 7 and Find 7a get big price cuts in the US until July 14
July 8th, 2015, 19:48 by Vlad 1 comments
Oppo’s Find 7 and Find 7a aren’t new devices anymore, as they were last year’s flagships for the Chinese company. That said, Oppo is still selling them, but at a steep discount – at least if you choose to buy one before July 14.
This applies if you’re in the US and order from Oppo’s official online store. If so, you can purchase a Find 7a for only $289, and the higher-end Find 7 for just $329. READ MORE »
Samsung is shaving $200 off the Galaxy Note 4′s full price until July 26
July 7th, 2015, 21:15 by Vlad 36 comments
If you’re in the US and are after Samsung’s top of the line phablet at the moment, here’s a deal that might interest you. The Korean smartphone maker has started a new promotion in the States today, one that will last until July 26.
It goes something like this. You purchase a Galaxy Note 4 at full retail price, and then Samsung will give you back $200 out of what you paid. READ MORE »
LG attaches a G4 to a drone, promo video ensues
July 7th, 2015, 20:15 by Vlad 24 comments
LG’s arm in Israel has decided to film a new promotional video for the G4. That in itself would be nothing out of the ordinary. What is a bit special in this case, however, is that most of the video is actually shot on the G4 itself. Which is strapped to a drone.
Now that drones are so hip and fashionable, LG thought its G4 should get some of that flying action too. Furthermore, the handset is filming its travels, so it can document what it’s seen. The music is dramatic, and the scenery is certainly spectacular. READ MORE »
Get your hands on a factory unlocked Samsung Galaxy S6 for $499.99 on eBay
July 7th, 2015, 05:21 by Stefan 27 comments
If you are looking for to buy a Samsung Galaxy S6, now might be a good time. A an eBay power seller in the United States is offering a factory unlocked G920F variant of the handset for $499.99.
Of course, the above mentioned price tag will land you a 32GB version of the Korean giant’s flagship smartphone. READ MORE »
Oppo R7 battery life test
July 5th, 2015, 14:29 by Kyle 30 comments
Oppo R7 is quite an interesting smartphone, which upgrades on the super thin Oppo R5. The new R7 brings back the 3.5mm jack and adds extra battery capacity at the price of 1.4mm of extra thickness. We also get dual-SIM connectivity, a microSD expansion slot, a higher-res selfie camera and enhanced rear snapper this time around.
The Oppo R7 keeps the same key hardware specs – a 5″ AMOLED 1080p display, the same Snapdragon 615 chip, this time around with 3GB of RAM, and runs on the aging Android KitKat. The older Oppo R5 returned a disappointing endurance rating and we hope Oppo managed to fix this issue for the successor. READ MORE »
HTC has people ‘blind test’ the One M9 compared to its competitors in new ads
July 3rd, 2015, 20:30 by Vlad 67 comments
Blind tests have now reached mobile device related marketing. HTC has taken exactly this approach in three new ads for its One M9. The handset maker’s representative has regular people test three aspects of smartphone use by using three devices which are fully covered by big, bulky cases – so as not to give away what they are.
If you’ve guessed that the HTC One M9 wins every single one of these tests, you were right, amazingly. App opening speed? Check. Sound quality? Check. Low-light selfies? Check. READ MORE »
OnePlus Cardboard can now be ordered for free, though you do pay shipping
July 3rd, 2015, 19:21 by Vlad 21 comments
Back when it revealed that it would launch its next smartphone in VR, OnePlus also made its own version of Google’s Cardboard official. The Chinese company promised to make this available to people before its grand unveiling event for the OnePlus 2, which will happen on July 27.
And now you can order one, straight from the OnePlus website. The rather surprising fact is that it’s free. You only have to pay for shipping, which is going to be $5 if you’re in the US, £5 if you’re in the UK, or €7 if you’re elsewhere in Europe. READ MORE »
Nexus 6, YotaPhone 2 get big price cuts in the UK
July 2nd, 2015, 17:24 by Ansh 8 comments
Following Motorola’s UK summer sale, which saw the Nexus 6 smartphone being offered on discounted rates, Google has also slashed the price of the handset in the country.
The 32GB and 64GB models of the device – which usually sell for £479 and £549 – are now listed at £304 and £379 on the Google Play Store. It is, however, not yet known whether or not it’s a temporary price cut as Google hasn’t yet officially announced it. READ MORE »
HTC giving away $100 Google Play credit to buyers of One M9 for Verizon
July 2nd, 2015, 03:48 by Ansh 9 comments
If you are planning to purchase an HTC One M9, here is a deal that might interest you: the Taiwanese company is offering a $100 Google Play credit to those who purchase the flagship smartphone from Verizon.
The promotion has already begun, and it runs through August 31. To claim your $100 Google Play credit, you’ll have to visit a specific webpage (click the Source 2 link below), where you’ll be required to provide proof of purchase, your contact information, as well as the smartphone’s IMEI number. You can redeem your $100 credit by September 30. READ MORE »
LG G4 comes with a free leather back and second battery in the US in July
July 1st, 2015, 20:08 by Vlad 21 comments
Last month, LG ran an interesting promotion for its G4 smartphone in the US. The company offered people who purchased the handset a free microSD card, a second battery, and a charging cradle. This month, LG is up to something very similar.
Only this time around the microSD card in the giveaway has been replaced with a leather back cover. You still also get a second battery with a charging cradle. READ MORE »
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active battery life test
June 29th, 2015, 03:08 by Stefan 53 comments
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active features a massive 3,500mAh battery. The rest of the rugged device’s internals are identical to those found in the regular Samsung Galaxy S6, so we were quite curious to put it through our battery test.
The 2,550mAh battery of the SM-G920 was sufficient enough to propel it to a stellar endurance rating of 73 hours. With roughly 40% more battery capacity than its non-rugged sibling, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active commands seriously high expectations. Read on to find out if the device delivers! READ MORE »
Samsung Galaxy S6 updated to Android 5.1.1: exploring the differences on video
June 28th, 2015, 13:45 by Peter 40 comments
The Android 5.1.1 update for the Samsung Galaxy S6 has been out for a while and it finally landed in our grasp so we updated our unit and took it for a quick spin. And we do mean quick as the changelog is particularly short.
We dug around the interface, tried shooting a RAW image and ran some benchmarks. Our findings are pretty slim – the 0.1 update brings only a handful of features. READ MORE »
Lenovo A7000 Preview
June 28th, 2015, 11:00 by Prasad 31 comments
The Lenovo A7000 is one of company’s budget smartphones, slotted between the A6000 Plus and the new K3 Note. But while we will be taking a look at the latter in a future post, it’s time to take a closer look at the A7000.
Despite its budget positioning, the A7000 does come with a good set of features, including a 5.5-inch HD display, 64-bit octa-core processor on a MediaTek chipset, 2GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera, LTE, dual SIM support and a 2900mAh battery. It’s also the world’s first phone to have Dolby Atmos-certified audio. READ MORE »
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December 16, 2016 by Matthew Miller
Samsung Galaxy S8 Rumours - What's expected
By: Lucy Slater Sam Cleere 26/01/2017
This article has been viewed 178 times
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Prysm updates its Visual Workplace to incorporate centralized live source streaming
Prysm has updated its cloud based collaboration platform with Live Source Streaming, Quick Start, and Wireless Screen Sharing features.
Eileen Brown
By Eileen Brown for Social Business | February 17, 2017 -- 16:19 GMT (00:19 GMT+08:00) | Topic: Collaboration
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Silicon Valley cloud-based collaboration workplace provider Prysm has announced its latest offering. Its Visual Workplace update includes 'Live Source Streaming', 'Quick Start', and 'Wireless Screen Sharing'. Its solution is also now compatible with third-party hardware.
Prysm updates its Visual Workplace to incorporate centralized live source streaming ZDNet
Prysm
The announcement means that customers can now turn almost any conference room that has a modern interactive LCD display into a Prysm Visual Workplace enabled room. Users can collaborate from any location and on any device, including mobile devices.
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The application can be enabled on a variety of commercial or industrial grade 4K or UHD LCD displays with a display port 1.2 and a USB 2.0 based touch sensor interface.
The Live Source Streaming option allows all participants using the Workplace, to view and manipulate all live sources displayed in a common workspace from any connected device.
Devices include: BYOD connected devices, personal devices such as laptops or mobile devices, in-room PC, videoconference systems, Apple TVs, document cameras, and security cameras. Changes and edits made during the conference can be viewed in real-time by meeting participants.
Its Quick Start offering enables employees, or guests without a Prysm account, access to the Visual Workplace to collaborate. Participants can pair devices, sketch using a new digital whiteboard and share information using the Visual Workplace.
Its Wireless Screen Sharing capability allows users to wirelessly display information from a laptop, tablet, or mobile device on a Prysm Display.
Prysm says that its Visual Workplace applications can be accessed through a web browser, with no download of software required. It also provides a cloud-based portal for real-time collaboration.
It also offers persistent workspaces. This means that meeting participants can continue a previous meeting exactly where they left off, with access to contents from the previous meeting.
The Company said that the tools are expected to be generally available by the end of Q1 2017.
Paige O'Neill, CMO, Prysm. said: "Prysm Visual Workplace helps improve employee productivity across the enterprise by making digital collaboration technology available, when and where employees need it to problem-solve.
By connecting physical and virtual workspaces and offering the tools employees need to achieve critical tasks quickly, regardless of their location or device, Prysm drives employee engagement and facilitates faster decision making."
Galaxy S8 rumours
The Samsung Galaxy S7 was widely lauded by critics and consumers alike when it was released back in March 2016. While it was very similar to the Galaxy S6, its improved features and stylish look and feel makes it one of the best smartphones on the market.
Yet the lack of innovation means there’s room for improvement. This is why many of us await the release of the Galaxy S8 with baited breath. Here’s what we know about the S8 so far…
The Galaxy S7 S7 Edge
When is the release date?
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will almost certainly launch early in 2017. Samsung usually releases each new Galaxy on the eve of the Mobile World Congress. As this event is due to start again on February 27 2017, the S8 is likely to launch on February 26.
You won’t be able to get your hands on it this early. At the very least you should expect to wait for two weeks – so March 13 at the earliest. Yet some sources are suggesting that Samsung could push back the release until April.
Will there be an Edge?
It doesn’t look likely that there will be an S8 Edge. Most rumours suggest that the standard S8 will have the familiar curved edges, which makes the name of the higher grade model somewhat redundant. Instead, the successor to the Galaxy S7 Edge will be the S8 Plus.
The key differences between the S8 and the S8 Plus will come down to size, battery capacity and possibly the camera. The S8 will come equipped with a 5.5/5.7in Quad-HD SuperAMOLED Always-On display. The S8 Plus will have a 6.2in 4K display. The higher-grade model will come with a dual camera, although it is possible that both the S8 and S8 Plus will sport this attractive feature.
What operating system will it run?
The Galaxy S8 is likely to use the new Android 7.1 Nougat operating system. This brings back app shortcuts, despite being scrapped after a poor response during the Android Nougat beta program. This function is similar to the 3D Touch features in iOS 9 and gives apps up to five shortcuts.
The power menu now includes a new restart setting. In the Google Nexus 5X, this gives you the option of power cycling rather than switching off your phone.
The Google models also include a ‘Moves’ menu. This gives users different ways to initiate different actions with certain gestures. For example, by double-twisting your wrist you can switch in or out of selfie mode. By pressing the power button twice, you can launch the camera. As the Samsung Galaxy S8 will use the same operating system, it is therefore likely that it will have the same functionality as the Google devices.
How much will the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus cost?
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are likely to cost a bit more than the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge did on release. This may be due in part to Samsung’s desire to make back some of the money they lost after they were forced to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7. The Galaxy S8 is likely to cost around £599 in the UK, and the S8 Plus a will be a fraction more expensive at around £669.
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A Language Learning Phenomenon — 5 Reasons 1,000,000 People Use This App To Learn Languages
Over 1,000,000 people have turned to technology to help them learn a language. We investigate why app-based learning is proving to be such a popular method, and what advantages it may hold over more traditional methods.
BY ED M. WOOD
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Facebook now has approximately 1.6 billion users, which equates to about one quarter of the world’s population. This number becomes even more astonishing when you consider that 3.3 billion of the world’s 7.2 billion people are connected to the internet — Facebook has registered over half the world’s connected population. The other internet giant, Google, handles around 4 billion search queries a day. Our information age of hyper-connectivity has heralded a new understanding of achievable scale. Every two days we generate the same amount of information as we did from the dawn of civilization until 2003 — five exabytes — and platforms with skittish names and basement origins categorize and index this information, mediate how we interact with one another, and mould the channels through which we access the vast repository of human knowledge.
Companies that operate on the breathtaking scale of Google and Facebook address and satisfy core fundamental human needs; namely, access to information and social interaction. It’s a formula for success: identify or create a need and provide a product or service which fulfills this need. In our networked world, this can be done at a global level: Uber can hail you a car either side of the Atlantic, Airbnb can secure you an apartment in Bombay or Buenos Aires, and Foodora can deliver you a takeaway in Birmingham or Berlin.
What happens, though, when a web company focuses not on need, but on aspiration? Can it also unite thousands of people in a common desire to educate and better themselves?
In 2007, the language experts at Babbel set out to make language learning easy, effective, and accessible to everyone. Fast-forward nine years and the four founders have multiplied into over four-hundred language enthusiasts — among them linguists, teachers, polyglots and content creators — who produce courses for learners of fourteen different foreign languages from seven different native languages, which equates to ninety-eight combinations of individually tailored courses.
So how’s it working out?
The numbers speak for themselves: over 1,000,000 people choose to learn a language with Babbel, and that number continues to grow. But why have the Babbel apps proved so popular? We’ve selected our top five reasons:
1. The People
From a rabble of budding language enthusiasts working in a loft in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, Babbel HQ has since evolved to house a broad range of experts united by the common goal of creating the best language learning tools possible. That may all sound rather, um… lofty, but as I heard Eric Schmidt say just this week, such overt ambition possesses a strong force of attraction. For a company that requires specialists in ninety-eight language combinations, this force of attraction is integral to finding the right people, whether it’s a Spanish linguist who can design a course in Polish, or a graphic designer who can help localize the look and feel across seven languages. This imperative of multilingual, intercultural expertise has endowed the company with a truly unique topography of skills, and an unrivaled potential for innovation within the world of language learning.
2. The Product AND The Service
App-based learning carries a few inherent advantages. It’s convenient: you have your smartphone by your side at all times, fully-charged and ready to guide you through the labyrinth of contemporary life, from the gentle tap of the snooze in the morning to the emoji-peppered goodnight-message you compose for a loved one in the evening.
Furthermore, an online product can be constantly improved and updated, blurring the distinction between product and service. A Babbel learner’s progress is measured, and junctures within courses that prove difficult are optimized in order to ensure information is conveyed as effectively as possible. Yes, all that German grammar may sometimes seem complicated, and yes, some of those French words don’t look anything like they sound, but that’s exactly where Babbel comes in handy: it prides itself on making the complicated simple.
3. The Learners
All of the 1,000,000+ learners have their own story, their own reason for endeavoring to learn a language. As Babbel is in frequent contact with them, some truly inspiring tales have emerged. Gianni, for example, is probably our oldest learner at the age of 101. He’s a technophile who has long used Skype to communicate with his daughter in New York, and who likes to practice his new language with his great-granddaughter’s English speaking nanny. Cecilia is also Italian but has lived abroad for many years and speaks multiple languages. She now uses Babbel to learn German with a view to moving to Berlin in the next few years. The Babbelonians themselves are also keen Babbelers, having taken part in numerous challenges to see how much they can learn within a given period of time, whether that be Turkish in seven days, or French in a working week…
4. The Magazine
The Babbel Magazine was founded two years ago with the aim of promoting entertaining, educational articles, artwork and video on the topics of language and culture. It’s written in six different languages – English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese – and is visited on average by over ten million people every month. The editorial team now consists of thirteen people from eight different countries, and you can read about anything from the secret languages of twins to how soccer players in international teams communicate with one another. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then you can easily register with Babbel and receive all the latest updates from our magazine.
5. The Future
Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality… Science fiction is rapidly becoming science reality. The education industry has often lagged behind other industries, such as gaming and travel, in adopting and developing new digital technologies. Babbel aims to change this – driving innovation in order to keep education in step and simultaneously addressing the soaring trend toward informal, autodidactic learning that’s been ushered in by the Information Age.